Abstract

Aim: Describe the main causes of a delayed diagnosis of appendicitis in Burundi to contribute to the improvement of its management.

Patients and Methods: It was a retrospective and prospective descriptive study carried out at the University Teaching Hospital of Kamenge (UTHK) over a period of 30 months from March 1^st 2018 to August 30 2020. We included in our study all the patients who were admitted for acute appendicitis or one of its complications during the period of the study.

Results: Acute appendicitis and its complications represented 20,79% of all the abdominal emergencies (n = 73). The average age was 27.6 years. The sex-ratio was 1.4. Abdominal pain was the chief complaint. Uncomplicated appendicitis represented 20.79% of all cases while 71.98% were complicated forms among which 38.36% were at the stage of peritonitis, appendicular plastron in 20.55% and appendicular abscess in 15.07%. Other diagnosis accounted for 4.11% of the cases. There was an average delay of 6.36 days between the onset of symptoms and consult at the hospital. The main causes of this delay were self-medication and misdiagnosis in the peripheral healthcare structures. The hospital stay was of 11.5 days in average. The overall morbidity of 17.81% was dominated by superficial surgical site infections. The mortality rate was of 1.37%.

Conclusion: Complicated forms were predominant and were associated with a delayed diagnosis. This could be avoided by raising awareness on the harmful effects of self-medication, delayed consult, and capacity building the nursing staff in the peripheral healthcare structures to ensure effective diagnosis and management.

Keywords: Appendicitis; Delayed Diagnosis

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